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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 5h

Should be with you now!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 5h

No worries, it's an easy fix :)

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 5h

I'll send it over to you shortly, mate! Should have been delivered digitally with your order, but I can see something went wrong.

Hold the line!

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Reposted by Three Sails Studios

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

On Monday, I went over a little bit about the setting of GALLOWS CORNER: one England, many Englands. A post-plague rotten isle, with crown, church, and nobility standing on the necks of the commons.

But what about the game itself? How does it play? What are its core mechanics? Let's find out!

Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 2d

Gallows Corner is the next game from Three Sails Studios after the success of Mappa Mundi, our debut release.

But what IS Gallows Corner? What is a Peasants' Revolt RPG? This week, you'll find out. Today, we're talking setting!

The front cover of Gallows Corner - A Peasants' Revolt RPG.

A gallows and noose are silhouetted against a full moon. An ornate border of thorns and brambles extends around the edge of the cover.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

Agreed! This system is meant to represent general improvements in the Job (expertise) and specific moments of learning and understanding (training).

I'm happy with how it has turned out :)

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

Would you just LOOK at that beauty!

And the best stuff is inside the box.

Clay TN (He/Him), TTRPG Reviewer & Solo Actual Player @clay-tn.bsky.social · 9h

Well @threesailsstudios.bsky.social it arrived!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

Wahey! Glad to hear it! :D

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

Both!

You gain Expertise (again, a system I used in Mappa Mundi and have adapted here) each time you roll with your JOB dice.

You then gain Training by spending an Opportunity to study with an NPC who works in that Job.

When both are done, you can upgrade your JOB dice or learn a new Skill.

Jobs in Gallows Corner have four levels – Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master. Once players gain Expertise and Training, they can ‘level up’ Jobs by upgrading their JOB dice in value, from a D6 to a D8 to a D12. Alternatively, they may choose to unlock a new Skill in that Job, rather than upgrading its JOB dice.

Expertise accumulates through regularly using a Job. Whenever the player makes a Test that involves a JOB dice, they should mark down a point of Expertise for the relevant Job on their Character Sheet. (They do not need to succeed on the Test to accumulate Expertise.)
Training occurs at moments when the PC encounters an NPC who shares their Job and is willing to act as a teacher to guide them to the next level. To initiate Training, players must spend an Opportunity. They may only do this once every in-game year, and only when they have accumulated Expertise in that Job equivalent to the value of the next dice in the chain (D6 to D8, D8 to D12).
Once the Expertise and Training conditions are met, players may upgrade their JOB dice.

For example, let’s say that a PC has the Pickpocket Job at Apprentice level, with a D6 JOB dice. This PC must accumulate 8 Expertise in Pickpocket, meet a mentor, and spend an Opportunity to undergo Training before they can level up their Pickpocket JOB dice from a D6 to a D8, representing the Journeyman level.

In addition, there are a few other rules that come into play regarding Job levels:

During character creation, PCs begin their first Job at the Apprentice level.
When a Job is at the Novice level, the player gains a +1 bonus to their TRA dice whenever it is used. They may also unlock one Skill from that Job.
When a Job is upgraded from the Novice to the Apprentice level, the player loses the +1 bonus to their TRA dice. They add a D6 JOB dice to their Dice Pool for that Job.
When a Job is upgraded from the Apprentice to Journeyman or Journeyman to Master levels, players may choose to upgrade their JOB dice or s…

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

The choice offered to players when they are developing their Job is simple:

Do I want my character to be generally better at their Job and more able to succeed when Tested? Upgrade your JOB dice.

Do I want more specific Skills that I can just do? Add a new Skill!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

I just love it when people immediately get what a design choice is trying to do.

In Gallows Corner, as in Mappa Mundi, you are doing a job you've been trained to do. There are some things you can just DO. (cont.)

gridflay @gridflay.bsky.social · 10h

I really like a skill that doesn't need rolls to check it- a carpenter isn't going to fail to make a chair.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 9h

Exactly! It was a system I was proud of in Mappa Mundi -- where characters are, similarly, people doing a job they've been trained for -- and I felt it was very important here, too.

The choice that faces players is: do I want to improve my general Job ability (the dice) or my specific Job skills?

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

So glad to hear it! :D

The EXP + TRA + JOB system is one of my favourite things I've come up with for a game.

I knew I wanted Trades and Jobs as both theme and mechanic, so the combination of dice is where the SYSTEM finds form.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

GALLOWS CORNER - A PEASANTS' REVOLT RPG launches on Kickstarter February 3rd, 2026. You can go and follow the Prelaunch page right now: www.kickstarter.com/projects/thr...

And you can experience these first two mechanics by downloading the FREE Prerelease Guide: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Coming soon: Gallows Corner - A Peasants' Revolt RPG

This is not your England. It's theirs. But we're going to take it back. And we'll start by burning it down!

www.kickstarter.com

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

So there we have two of the four core mechanics from GALLOWS CORNER: the Dice Pool and Jobs and Trades. Both linked, both deepening experience and verisimilitude.

On Friday, we'll look at my favourite mechanic -- RETINUES -- and the newest, the Point Crawl, both used to create A Living England.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

In this way, your character IS what they DO and WHO they ARE.

A character is a marriage of their life experiences and their professional achievements.

A smart but cold Assassin? Check. An emotional but foolish Burglar? Check!

The Assassin and The Burglar spread from Gallows Corner.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

As your character develops, your dice will change.

As they get stronger, smarter, and mature emotionally, those EXP dice can grow from D6 to D8 to D12.

As they get better at their Job, their JOB dice can increase or they can unlock new Skills.

As they learn more Jobs, their TRA dice also grows.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

Finally, they decide to convince the crowd by staging a short play. This means they can add their JOB dice to their pool.

For the test, they roll three dice (Emotional EXP, TRA, and JOB), looking for a 5 or higher on any of those dice.

Should be easy!

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

Narrator: You are being tested on convincing a crowd to rebel against the local militia.

The player decides that this is an emotional challenge, so adds their Emotional dice to their Dice Pool. Their Trade means they're used to performing, so they add their TRA dice.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

We see, then, the link between the Dice Pool and Trades + Jobs mechanics.

Let's look at an example Test and how the mechanics pull together.

Pictured here is the Mummer Job from The Masque Trade.

The Mummer Job page from Gallows Corner.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

So, after character creation, the player has the following tools:

Three Experience (EXP dice): Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual (two D6s and a D8)

One Trade (TRA) dice: D6

One Job (JOB) dice: D6

And one Skill (a general ability that the character can JUST DO, replacing the need to Test).

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

With the Trade selected, the player then selects one of that Trade's six Jobs.

From THE MASQUE, for example, the player can choose from CON ARTIST, FOOL, FORTUNE TELLER, MINSTREL, MUMMER, and MUSICIAN.

With Job picked, the player gains a Job (JOB) dice and unlocks one of four Skills.

The Masque page from Gallows Corner. The text reads:

The grind of the hurdy gurdy. The sweet notes of a song. The falls and tumbles of acrobats. The roar, shock, and laughter of the crowd. The whole world is a stage. If only everyone knew it was all more than just a game.

Travelling from town to town, performing in manors and taverns, market squares and woodland clearings, actors, singers, and musicians are the voice, soul, and memory of England. The history of this place runs deeper than many know, and those who dedicate their lives to art are the custodians of those stories.

Some are famous, bringing their revels before kings, queens, and nobles. In return, they are showered in gold, their whimsies elevated to the status of great art. Most, however, scratch a living among the commons. No matter the drudgery of life, a well-timed joke, a carefully played tune, or a song sung from the depths of the heart can make all pain melt away, if only for a moment.

To struggle is human, to play divine. And we could all use a bit of that every now and then.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

In Gallows Corner, your character IS what they DO. Their Trade is a broad indicator of HOW they work -- The Body, The Earth, The Flesh, The Hood, The Market, The Mind, The Masque, The Stranger.

When choosing a Trade, the player gains a Trade (TRA) dice, beginning with a D6.

Trades and Jobs page from Gallows Corner. The text reads:

A person is what they do, their lives shaped by the daily tasks that occupy them from sun up to sun down.

Most work with their bodies, the toils of labour etched into flesh, muscle, and bone. Some work with their minds, others with money and goods. Most work within the bounds of the law, but there are always some who seek a living in the grey areas or outside the bounds of society entirely.
But one thing is true: everyone works.

In this section, we present six Trades and a single Job within each. During Character Creation, you will choose a Trade and the Job within it, and this choice will shape the life and times of your PC.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

So far, so simple. Physical and/or Emotional and/or Intellectual.

But you're always looking for a result of 5 or better (a Success) to pass that Test, and you want to increase your chances. Of course you do!

Let's talk about Trades and Jobs, and how they interact with the Dice Pool.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

When being Tested, the Narrator won't ask the player to roll a specific dice. Instead, they'll describe what they're being tested on:

Narrator: You're trying to avoid being seen by the sentry as you sneak into the militia camp.

The player then advocates for which dice they'll add to their Pool.

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Three Sails Studios @threesailsstudios.bsky.social · 13h

But not every situation is a simple one thing or the other, right? Clever players will know advocate for combining dice!

Need to win an argument but want to appeal to someone's sense of justice? Combine Emotional and Intellectual!

Want to use your anger to help win a fight? Emotional and Physical!

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